1. Field of the Invention
The present application is filed, claiming the Paris Convention priorities of Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-211875 (filed on Aug. 20, 2008), the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a method for producing ε-caprolactam by performing a vapor phase Beckmann rearrangement reaction of cyclohexanone oxime in the presence of a pentasil type zeolite. The present invention also relates to a method for producing a pentasil type zeolite, which is suited for the method for producing ε-caprolactam.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a method for producing ε-caprolactam by performing a vapor phase Beckmann rearrangement reaction of cyclohexanone oxime in the presence of a pentasil type zeolite, there is a method using a pentasil type zeolite obtained by subjecting a mixture of a silicon compound, water and a tetra-n-propylammonium salt to a hydrothermal synthesis reaction (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2007-222758, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-176125, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-72411, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H11-57483, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H05-170732, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 1102-275850 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 1102-250866).
However, the above conventional methods were not necessarily satisfactory in terms of a conversion of cyclohexanone oxime and a selectivity of ε-caprolactam.